Long before ventilators were making headlines, respiratory therapists like Pennsylvania Hospital’s Roy Beatty were working tirelessly to help patients breathe comfortably and independently. Throughout his 30-year career, Beatty has weaned innumerable patients off ventilators and watched them recover with breathing treatments, as well as offered compassionate end-of-life care. When reflecting on these ups and downs, Beatty candidly notes that he has “never felt as mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted” as he has been during the COVID-19 crisis. Still, he remains deeply committed to providing lifesaving care for patients and serving as a leader and a beloved “Work Dad” for his colleagues.
Recalling a Christmas gift that he received from a patient that reads, ‘Never let your fear be greater than your faith,’ Beatty enters each day clad in PPE and prepared to do everything in his power to keep his peers from being exposed to the coronavirus. He collaborates with doctors, residents, and nurses to provide the intensive care that Pennsy’s COVID-positive patients require — checking pulse ox levels, inserting nasal cannulas, monitoring intubated patients, and gently proning patients (flipping them onto their stomachs) to improve their breathing — all while frequently taking inventory to know what equipment is available for the next arrival.
“Everything has changed, but I’m proud of the people I work with. We’re family, and we’re on the front lines and down in the trenches together,” he said. “I’m actually up for retirement, but I’m still here, and I’d never shirk this responsibility. This is my calling.”
At Penn Medicine, we all aspire to be Difference Makers who represent the Penn Medicine Experience (PMX) in action. PMX sets a consistent standard across all of our entities and work locations to make every touchpoint an opportunity to build enduring connections with patients, families, visitors, and colleagues, which is a foundational part of the UPHS Success Share program.